This copy is for your personal non-commercial use only. To order presentation-ready copies of Toronto Star content for distribution to colleagues, clients or customers, or inquire about permissions/licensing, please go to: www.TorontoStarReprints.com

Police move toward $35 million encrypted radios

Police say the change is all about security, but tow-truck drivers, media and scanner fans will be the losers if they can’t listen in anymore. Police say it's all about security in encrypting their radio system to prevent eavesdropping. Monitoring emergency radio calls by the media and public soon to be a thing of past.

By Henry StancuStaff ReporterHenry StancuStaff Reporter

Wed., March 10, 2010

Eavesdropping on police radio will soon be a thing of the past in Toronto as the force moves to launch a $35 million encrypted system that blocks out the public — including tow-truck drivers, reporters and others with a burning desire to know what’s happening out there.

Though new to many cities, radio encryption has been employed for decades around the globe, spurred on by post-9/11 security concerns. It’s used by the U.S. secret service, CIA and Homeland Security, as well as some state and local forces, though not by New York City police.

Although officials acknowledge encryption is coming to Toronto — as soon as the G20 summit in June — nobody wants to discuss specifics, citing “security concerns.”

“It’s about public safety, officer safety, operational security and integrity,” explains Mark Pugash, director of public information for Toronto police. “When you consider how accessible the information is and the sensitivity of much of what we do, then you have to take this very seriously.” Pugash didn’t give a target date, and the operating budget doesn’t itemize the cost.

However, it’s coming in at a time when there is extraordinary pressure to cut costs. The police services board voted Monday not to trim $5.9 million from the $892.2 million operating budget, as recommended by a review committee. Chief Bill Blair said it would be “irresponsible” and would mean 258 fewer officers on the street.

Board chair Alok Mukherjee describes encryption as a “long-term capital expense” the city will benefit from introducing now because Ottawa will pay half the cost under its commitments toward security for the G20. Though costs have dropped drastically over the past decade, just one encrypted radio costs $5,000, according to a Motorola dealer.

A communications insider said police are still maintaining the old Motorola radio system, but also testing encrypted radios for use in sensitive areas such as the emergency task force, undercover operations and summit preparations, in conjunction with the RCMP.

Meanwhile, the prospect of a blackout is causing anxiety to those who routinely monitor police, fire and ambulance calls, including media outlets, independent tow-truck drivers and scanner buffs.

For suddenly stranded motorists, it may mean a longer wait for a tow — and for those stuck behind a stalled vehicle or accident, a longer backup.

Wadi Alsaadli, of Metro Toronto Towing, an independent operator for four years with two trucks on the road, says that without a police contract, his livelihood depends on an open radio system. He figures more than 1,000 independent tow trucks work the GTA streets.

Police “can’t always depend on the contractors because sometimes they are all busy and they need someone else to get things moving in a hurry,” Alsaadli said.

Radioworld, at Steeles Ave. W. and Highway 400, caters to scanner enthusiasts who listen in to learn what’s going on in their neighbourhood. “Obviously, they’ll be shut out,” said sales manager Tim Pacan.

When the Ontario Provincial Police switched to a digital system that blocked out the public, he said, they had to bring in a separate, open analogue channel so tow-truck operators could respond to accidents that paralyzed highways.

“Anything that should be secret already is, like the emergency task force and undercover work,” Pacan argues. “And how often do you hear people committing a crime using a scanner? You hear a lot more often: Bob Jones (was) sitting at home listening to his scanner and he looked out his window and called it in. It actually helps to have people listening.”

Scanner fans know that when officers really want to avoid eavesdroppers they will radio each other: “Call me on my cellphone.”

Pugash says there is no “enshrined right” of the public or news media to listen in to emergency calls, despite the freedom they’ve had to do so until now. He stressed that encryption is not meant as a confrontational tactic in media relations, and welcomed suggestions from news outlets for ways to keep information flowing.

In some jurisdictions, police provide the media with encrypted radios that can be disabled and even tracked if they’re stolen. In others, police calls can be monitored through a secure web-based link. Either way, access is at the discretion and control of the police, and not everyone is happy.

When police in Sydney, Australia, went to encryption in 2008, information was passed on to media via Internet “call-outs.”

“The media (were) told not to worry — we’d be kept in the loop. But we were hoodwinked and outsmarted. What’s left is a police sanitized version of events,” Daily Telegraph reporter Mark Morri wrote.

Since police in Windsor, Ont., went to encryption last year, media have had to cover breaking events long after the fact. “It ain’t like it used to be, that’s for sure,” said Windsor Star police reporter Trevor Wilhelm. “Witnesses are gone. People have dispersed and sometimes (police) put it on their website an hour or two later and you totally miss the boat.”

Listening to local police radio calls will soon be a thing of the past as Toronto police prepare to launch and encrypted radio system to block out public monitoring.

It is a system that is new to some cities, but has been used for decades in various parts of the world.

More from the Toronto Star & Partners

LOADING

Copyright owned or licensed by Toronto Star Newspapers Limited. All rights reserved. Republication or distribution of this content is expressly prohibited without the prior written consent of Toronto Star Newspapers Limited and/or its licensors. To order copies of Toronto Star articles, please go to: www.TorontoStarReprints.com